Pressing machines



Oct. 31, 1967 H. LEW 3,349,976

PRESSING MACHINES Filed July 26, 1966 32 FIG. 2.

ll n E wJj iw ii i a n M MN INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,349,976 PRESSING MACHINES Heung Lew, 2 Dogwood Drive, Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583 Filed July 26, 1966, Ser. No. 567,899 8 Claims. ('Cl. 22373) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A presser for a bifurcated garment, such as shirts and trousers, is provided with a forced hot air system including upright tubular forms for the garment members. The air system also includes a plenum chamber having air outlets connected to the tubular forms and an inlet connected to a hood that overlies the upper ends of the forms to trap hot air escaping from the upper ends and diverting it to the inlet of the plenum chamber, thereby salvaging thermal energy.

This invention relates to pressing machines and it is more particularly concerned with machines adapted to press clothing such as shirts, trousers, etc.

The general object of the invention is the provision of an auxiliary unit adapted to a conventional pressing machine which functions to conserve heat and to render the machine usable without delay from one pressing application to a succeeding one.

Certain conventional pressers, such as shirt sleeve pressers, utilize hot air in pressing the cloth. Air is drawn from the outside of the machine and is passed over heated members. In the case of a shirt sleeve presser, the pressing members typically comprise outwardly extending hollow metal forms or bucks to engage the sleeves and support them during the pressing operation. These bucks are each formed of half sections which can be spread apart, and each half section contains a hollow space in which is disposed heating elements.

Air is drawn in by an electrically operated air blower and heated by passing through the heated bucks.

Between passes of the air through the bucks, such as when a pressed garment is removed and one to be pressed is set in place, the system cools to such an extent that a relatively substantial period elapses before the temperature of the air becomes adequate to permit use of the machine. This delay causes loss of operating time and electrical energy, all of which is economically harmful to the user, particularly proprietors of pressing establishments.

Accordingly, another object of the invention is to reduce such losses and increase the efficiency of the machine and the operation thereof.

A further object is the provision of an auxiliary device adapted for attachment to such a machine which results in a rapid heating of the air and a consequent saving of thermal energy required to heat the air.

A still further object is the provision of an auxiliary device which can be manufactured as a separate unit and attached to existing machines of the general type indicated.

A still further object is the provision of an auxiliary unit of the type mentioned which is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which is not likely to get out of order over prolonged periods of use.

These objects, and still further objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description considered together with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a conventional type of presser in conjunction with the auxiliary unit comprising an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment, partly broken away.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawing with more particularity the embodiment of the invention is illustrated in conjunction with a conventional type of presser comprising an enclosed hollow base housing and plenum chamber 9 and metal forms or bucks 10 which are intended to fit parts of garments to be pressed, such as the sleeves. Flexible wires 11 are mounted on the bucks, as equalizers to take up excess fullness in situations where the garment parts do not fit the form of the bucks exactly. These bucks straddle conventional pressing shoes 12 supported on a column 13.

The forms 10 are frusto-conical in shape and are each conventionally made in two half sections. Hot air passes upward from these forms. The half sections of the forms 10 are hollow and contain electrical heating elements (not shown). A tubular cloth shroud 14 connects the larger end 15 with an opening 16 at the top 17 of the 4 base housing 9 for the passage of air from the interior of the housing to the lower ends of the bucks. Each of the forms 10 is mounted on a pivoted arm 18 and biased to an initial position by coil spring 19, all of which is conventional and which form no part of the present invention per se but is simply mentioned herein as background to allocate the invention. Within the housing there is mounted a fan tunnel 20 which contains fan blades 21 connected to the rotary shaft 22 of an electric motor 23. When the motor is actuated, air is drawn into the tunnel 20 through an air inlet 24 of rear wall 25 of the housing and passes from the tunnel upwardly through the openings 16 and then through the shrouds 14 into the lower ends 15 of the forms 10. In thus passing into the forms the air is heated by the electrical heating elements.

In conventional devices of this type the inlet air opening 24 of the housing is open to the ambient atmosphere, whereupon relatively cooler air is drawn in and must be brought to the required temperature (about 300 C.) by the heating elements in order to permit the device to function properly.

Since a time factor is involved in the air being thus heated, a delay is encountered in the operation of the machine each time a pressed garment is removed and replaced by one which is to be pressed when the primary air entering the system through the inlet 24 is relatively cool at ambient temperatures.

In accordance with the improvement which comprises the present invention a hood 26 is mounted on stanchion type brackets 27 above the forms 10 for the purpose of intercepting hot air exhausting from the bucks. The hood 26 is of a conventional shape having a top wall 28 and side aprons 29, the bottom being open.

The top wall 28 of the hood has an opening 30 surrounded by a flange 31 which is connected to one end of an elbow pipe 32. The other end of the elbow pipe is connected to a tube 33 which extends around the hood, then downwardly to the air inlet 24 and is attached to this inlet by means of a conventional coupling flange 34.

At a convenient place along the tube 33, a conventional air filter 35, having a finger grip 36 is removably disposed transversely in a tubular section coupler 37 to trap lint which may become entrained in the hot air rising from the forms 10.

Hot air which rises to the inside of the hood 26 is fed to the inlet 24 as preheated inlet air whereupon the time and energy necessary to operate the machine are materially reduced. This permits a rapid cycling of the ma 3 chine and thereby avoids the waste and delay incident to conventional pressers.

What is claimed is:

1. A presser for a bifurcated garment comprising a pair of hollow frusto-conical forms disposed in an upright position, said forms being adapted to be disposed on the inside of the bifurcated members of the garment to be pressed, the upper ends of the forms being open and smaller than the opposite ends, said upper ends comprising the exhausts of an air flow system, electrical heating elements for heating air passing through said forms,

means pivotally supporting the forms for adjustable movement relative to each other, a plenum chamber having openings, one for each form, flexible means connecting the openings of said plenum chamber with the said larger ends of the forms respectively, an air blower connected to the plenum chamber for moving air in the cham ber out through its said openings, said chamber having an air inlet through which air is drawn by said blower, a stationary hood overlying in fixed spaced relation the locus of pivotal positions of said smaller ends of said forms, and a tubular duct connecting the interior of said hood with saidinlet.

2. A presser as defined by claim 1 in which the plenum chamber comprises also a base pivotally supporting the forms.

3. A presser as defined by claim 1 in which the flexible means comprises cloth shrouds.

4. A presser as defined by claim 1 in which the blower is disposed within the plenum chamber.

5. A presser as defined by claim 1 in which the electrical elements are disposed in the larger end of the forms.

6. A presser as defined by claim 2 in which the hood is supported on a bracket attached to the plenum chamber.

7. A presser as defined by claim 1 and a removable lint filter between the hood and the blower.

8. A presser as defined by claim 1 in which the hood is in the general shape of an inverted bowl having a closed top, side skirts and an open bottom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,488,220 11/1949 Monsarrat 3815 2,521,511 9/1950 Gayring 38--15 2,521,512 9/1950 Gayring 38-15 2,759,644 8/ 1956 Forse et al 22373 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PRESSER FOR A BIFURCATED GARMENT COMPRISING A PAIR OF HOLLOW FRUSTO-CONICAL FORMS DISPOSED IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION, SAID FORMS BEING ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED ON THE INSIDE OF THE BIFURICATED MEMBERS OF THE GARMENT TO BE PRESSED, THE UPPER ENDS OF THE FORMS BEING OPEN AND SMALLER THAN THE OPPOSITE ENDS, SAID UPPER ENDS COMPRISING THE EXHAUSTS OF AN AIR FLOW SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENTS FOR HEATING AIR PASSING THROUGH SAID FORMS, MEANS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING THE FORMS FOR ADJUSTABLE MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, A PLENUM CHAMBER HAVING OPENINGS, ONE FOR EACH FORM, FLEXIBLE MEANS CONNECTING THE OPENINGS OF SAID PLENUM CHAMBER WITH THE SAID LARGER ENDS OF THE FORMS RESPECTIVELY, AN AIR BLOWER CONNECTED TO THE PLENUM CHAMBER FOR MOVING AIR IN THE CHAMBER OUT THROUGH ITS SAID OPENINGS, SAID CHAMBER HAVING AN AIR INLET THROUGH WHICH AIR IS DRAWN BY SAID BLOWER, A STATIONARY HOOD OVERLYING IN FIXED SPACED RELATION THE LOCUS OF PIVOTAL POSITIONS OF SAID SMALLER ENDS OF SAID FORMS, AND A TUBULAR DUCT CONNECTING THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOOD WITH SAID INLET. 